445. Duskval Festival VI

445. Duskval Festival VI

Omen: 1, 7

The morning came too quickly for Adam’s liking. He stared up at the ceiling, feeling the weight of his triplets up against him. They were all clung to him, grabbing at his clothing as they slept peacefully.

‘Bell?’

[Yes?]

‘Do you have children?’

[I am a system.]

‘So are they a bunch of viruses?’

[...]

‘Come on, even you know that was funny.’

[No.]

Adam sighed, thinking about whether he should Level Up now, or later when he leaves the Iyr. ‘Leave the Iyr?’ Adam’s heart pounded wildly, and his body grew cold. He clenched his sweaty plams and winced at the thought of leaving the safety of the Iyr. ‘No.’

Konarot’s face blocked off his sight as the girl stared down at him curiously, rubbing her eyes.

“Good morning,” Adam whispered.

The girl replied with a gentle grunt before she hugged her father. The other children awoke and cuddled with their father. He assisted with washing them up, before he changed them into their attire for the day, which was similar to his own.

As they prepared themselves, other Iyrmen appeared within the shared family estate. A gaze caused him to shudder, and he turned, seeing Cirot and Sirot, who were eyeing him up.

‘Oh no.’

“You two need to behave,” Jarot said to his grandnieces.

They narrowed their eyes up at their granduncle, wondering why he was trying to form a rift between them and Adam. Jarot shot them with a look, causing them to remain silent.

‘Do not ruin this for us.’

The twins looked at Adam, before their eyes fell to the Dragons, and then the Goblin twins. There was still an awkwardness between the extended Rot family and Adam after what had happened, though they had nothing to do with it.

‘How could grandaunt not accept them?’

‘How are we going to marry him now?’

Adam shuddered, causing his triplets to clutch at his clothing, wanting to feel the coolness against them too.

An older Iyrman had also arrived with them. She was tall and strong, and would have been a beautiful woman if it wasn’t for the huge scar across her left eye, which travelled down the side of her neck.

“Good morning, Otkan,” Adam said.

“Grandaunt,” Sonarot and Shikan corrected together.

“Ah,” Adam replied, flushing with embarrassment. “Grandaunt.”

“Yeah?”

“Jarot seems to believe so,” Otkan stated. “He has spent much time telling me how you are such a great grandson who will bring much glory to the Iyr and the Rot family.”

“I’m not sure if he’s right, but I hope he isn’t wrong.”

“Do you believe his words?”

“Well...” Adam wondered how he should respond. He smiled. “I haven’t heard of an Iyrman lie before.”

Otkan smiled at his response. “I believe you will bring glory to the Iyr and the Rot family too.”

“Why is that?” Adam wondered if the reason was because he had beaten her once before, when he wasn’t even an Expert yet.

“You committed yourself to these children of yours,” Otkan said, looking down to the Goblins. They were tiny, and would grow up with a far more difficult life than any Iyrman. It would be difficult for Adam to take care of them, even with the limited support the Iyr would provide them. “You, who adopted both Half Dragons and Goblins.”

“I adopted Goblins and Half Dragons,” Adam corrected, wanting to make sure the order of the adoption was known. It was a statement which held great importance, and was something Adam felt great pride in, though he wished he didn’t.

“What do you think of my little Naqokan?” Otkan asked, her eyes falling onto Adam’s once more.

“I am sure she will grow up to be a great warrior,” Adam replied, carefully. He could see the question in the old woman’s eyes, and the pressure he felt was the same pressure of when his Aunt would mention marriage to him.

“Would she not make a good wife?” Otkan asked, pressing forward, as though she were a marching soldier.

“I’m sure whoever she marries will be happy,” Adam deflected, trying not to offend the old woman.

“We, too, are good,” Cirot interrupted.

“I can sew well,” Sirot said.

“I can knit well,” her twin added.

The pair had tried to get Adam to marry them first, but they had been unsuccessful this entire time. They would not give in so easily to Naqokan, even if she was a great warrior from the main Kan family.

Cirot and Sirot knew of the best way to a man’s heart, it was through his ribs. However, if they wanted him to live, then it would be through his stomach. However, there was a mountain which they needed to surpass, and that mountain was Adam himself.

He was someone who had brought pizza to the Iyr, and it was already such a large hit within the Iyr. There was also the mythical beans on toast, which they did not completely understand, for Adam spoke of it with a great longing, and yet they had eaten beans on toast before, but it did not taste that good. They tried it with plain bread and it was much nicer.

‘How problematic,’ Adam thought. ‘Why do I have so many women who want to marry me? Isn’t it weird they’re both good at sewing and knitting too? Will I get cancelled? No, what am I talking about, aren’t they still too young?’ He shuddered at the thought.

“I have children which I need to look after, and I know how difficult it is for people to accept them,” Adam said, looking at his tiny children, who were staring up at the sky, twitching every so often. “I’m not so naive to think that they’ll welcome my children equally, since not even my family does so.”

Adam’s words hit Cirot and Sirot like a hammer, and they looked to their aunt from the shared family estate, who was looking after Gurot. There was a collective wave of shame which fell through the air.

Dunes stopped at the archway, noting the silence which had taken to the courtyard. ‘I feel as though I’ve come at the wrong time.’

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Dunes does the awkward walk inside like grandpa from the Simpsons when Bart is at the front desk.

I'm going to post up a few times a day for the festival for a bit so I can take a week off once Beyond Chaos Year 2 is done.

Also because there are some wonderful chapters in the future.